


So only say my name

by twinSky



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, off-screen pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 15:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8995528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinSky/pseuds/twinSky
Summary: All Keith had wanted was to know what day they'd moved the club meeting too, he gets a whole lot more.It's a good thing.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LovelyFandomLife](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=LovelyFandomLife), [defyaugury](https://archiveofourown.org/users/defyaugury/gifts).



> I wasn't sure which pseud to tag, so I did both? 
> 
> Anyways, Merry Christmas to my giftee [Sam](http://www.the-sparrows-providence.tumblr.com/)! Hope you have a wonderful holiday and that you enjoy this fic

He’s had a laptop for ages, but it seems old and outdated compared to the piece of technology before him. At 18 it’s probably sad that he’s never owned a phone before but he’s never had a need before now, and he still doesn’t but his mother had forced one upon him after he’d come home past midnight and hadn’t been able to contact her before hand.

That aside, the moment his few friends had found out they’d forced him to enter their numbers onto his phone, which while annoying at the time sure is coming and handing right now as he fires of a message to Pidge.

[Sent 16:47] Did the meeting get moved to Thursday or Friday?

[Sent 16:47] This is Keith, by the way

[Received 17:03] ???? lol wat

[Sent 17:10] The club meeting. This is Pidge, right? Pidge Gunderson?

[Received 17:18] ur things on friday

[Received 17:19] also pidge’s number is 4879 not 4789 jsyk

[Received 17:19] hf ;)

Keith blinks down at his phone, vaguely confused by the whole exchange. He’s not sure whose number he ended up texting other than that they’re a friend of Pidge’s and type using shorthand. Oddness aside, because what are the chances he’d get the number wrong but still end up with someone who could help, it was nice of them to help.

[Sent 17:25] Thanks

He messages finally, and changes his contacts so Pidge is under the right number and leaves the new unknown on its own. With one last look he tosses the phone aside and boots up his laptop, turning his attention away to something new.

 

-

 

Four days later, it’s Friday and Pidge greets him with a hip check that sends him nearly sprawling to the ground in its suddenness, and moves beside him with a wide grin, skirt swishing beneath an oversized ‘I want to believe’ t-shirt.

“Well ya dolt,” they begin, adjusting their glasses, “did you fix my number on your phone.”

He nods, and Pidge’s grin turns impish, “Sure lucked out that me and Lance have basically the same number or who knows who you could’ve texted. _Oh_ maybe it would have been a-”

“Who’s Lance?” He interrupts, and Pidge stops accordingly, turning to stare at him with a confused expression.

“The guy you texted? Did you not ask? Did he not tell you? Hard to believe that he’d skip a chance to introduce himself.” Pidge says, though the last part comes out as more of a mumble so he probably wasn’t meant to hear it.

“No, just, he just gave me the date,” He pulls out his phone, suddenly unsure, but no there’s no new messages he’s missed nor did he fail to respond to one sent.

He shows the conversation to Pidge, who purses their lips and opens their mouth to respond but whatever they meant to say gets drowned out by the head of their club banging her hand twice against the blackboard.

“Okay everyone, listen up, we’re starting. Today’s topic: Who would win in a fight; Mothman or Bigfoot?”

The room explodes into noise, voices overlapping each other and Pidge turns away from him, jumping into the fray.

“Everyone knows that Mothman can–” the rest of of their sentence gets drowned out by the chatter overflowing throughout the room, and Keith gives whatever Pidge meant to say one last thought before joining in on the discussion as well.

 

-

 

[Received: 20:05] bro, dude the hell did ya tell pidge they think i’m depressed

[Received: 20:06] ‘if you need to talk i’m here for you’

[Received: 20:06] now i got 3 different people sending me concerned messages

[Received: 20:07] i will keep messaging until you respond

[Received: 20:07] do not test me

[Received: 20:07] bro

[Received: 20:07] BRO

[Sent: 20:07] Sorry, I was in the shower

[Received: 20:08] dudeeee

[Received: 20:08] oh

[Sent: 20:08] I didn’t tell Pidge anything? Though they seemed surprised when I said I didn’t know your name

[Received: 20:09] SERIOUSLY?!?!?!!!  omg

[Received: 20:10] the name’s Lance, btw, Lance McClain ;)~<3

[Sent: 20:10] Keith Kogane, nice to meet you

[Received: 20:11] back at ya

They end up talking for a while, until Keith has to bid the other goodnight, he has an early shift tomorrow and really needs to head to bed.

It’s been awhile since Keith has been able to talk to someone so casually and easily, since he has met someone he could tentatively call a friend. It’s nice, and he falls asleep with a smile on his face.

 

-

 

“You’re the face of this business as a cashier, Keith,” Allura tells him as she adjusts his collar, a grimace on her face, “and as such your appearance needs to be as neat as you can manage.”

She takes a step back, taking in the whole of him, her grimace still in place –possibly worsening.

“It’s 5 in the morning Allura, no one’s awake enough to notice if my collars crooked or my shirt has wrinkles.

The look on her face seems to tell him ‘I care, and I notice, and my collar isn’t crooked so there’s no reason yours should be’ and he looks away simply because he doesn’t want her to read in his gaze ‘I’m pretty sure you’re not real and no one should look as nice as you manage at 5am’.

Allura always looks too nice for this job in general, she wears the uniform same as everyone else –though slightly different, since she’s the assistant manager – but it’s always spotless no matter how long she’s worked for.

Keith’s brought it up at the club, he think’s she has to be _something_ mythical, maybe even an alien. He’s also pretty sure she doesn’t even need this job, which just makes the whole thing more suspicious.

Still, she’s nice and Keith likes her even though she starts all their morning shifts (or any shift) by making sure their uniforms are in perfect condition.

When he looks back Allura is looking at him like despite his efforts she’s managed to read his every thought regardless, but she simply sighs, her grimace turning into a smile. Putting a hand on his shoulder she turns him around and shoves him towards the registers.

“Well, time to get to work.”

 

-

 

The breakfast rush ends without much of a hassle, and Keith only has one customer yell at him when he tells him they’ve run out of caramel so he considers the morning a win all things considered.

The clock on the register reads 9:30, which mean an hour until his break and around two hours till the lunch rush. He cherishes the lull while it lasts, leaning forward to place his elbows on the counter, and observes the scattered customers sitting around the store. That is until the doors swing open, banging loudly against the wall behind him.

“Sorry!” Says whoever just walked in, looking absolutely startled by what’s he’s just done, head darting back and forth around the store. “I’m so sorry.”  He repeats, finally approaching the register.

“Can I get a medium soft-serve?” He asks, looking wild-eyed and half-asleep, rummaging through his pockets for what Keith assumes to be change.

“Will that be all?” Keith replies, and the guy’s eyes finally lock on Keith at the question. They widen, and then dart down to his nametag, before zooming back up.

“Yup,” he says, voice somehow cracking on the one syllable.

“That’ll be–”

“What was that noise? Do I need to call someone?” Allura’s voice interrupts, coming out round from the back. Her eyes zero in on the customer in front of him and narrow. “Lance,” she begins, and this time it’s his eyes that widen as she walks by him towards one of the machines, “what have I told you about coming here half asleep, or anywhere asleep.”

“To not,” he replies, taking the soft-serve cone she shoves into hands, “listen it’s fine, you need to worry less.”

Allura huffs, giving him a glare that Keith recognizes as ‘do not think they’re won’t be words later’ and Lance laughs in response. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll see you later.” He says, and then turns to leave.

“Hey, wait are y–”

“Sorry gotta run, meeting up with Hunk, tell Coran I say hi!”

And then he’s gone, and Keith tries not to feel like he’d been purposefully ignored.

“That’s Lance, just give him an ice cream cone, he’ll try to pay for it but don’t let him.” Allura tells him as she walks back to where she was, and he nods for lack of a better response.

He glances at the clock, 9:46, still 45 minutes to go.

 

-

 

[Sent: 12:51] I saw someone named Lance today, for some reason I was sure it was you.

[Received: 13:35] ur kidding

[Sent: 13:37] No really, he walked into my workplace and the assistant manager gave him free soft-serve

There’s a pause here, enough for Keith to start to feel anxious even though he can’t reason why, but after they start messaging Lance has never taken longer than a minute or two to respond. He’s still pondering the possible meaning when his phone finally buzzes.

[Received: 13:50] that was me

[Sent: 13:51] !! Actually??

[Received: 13:55] Yeah

And it’s the last message he gets from Lance for the rest of the day.

 

-

 

By the time the club meeting rolls around again, at its new permanent time of Fridays from 4-7, Keith still hasn’t heard back from Lance despite the occasional message he has sent out throughout the week.

He knows it’s stupid, they had barely been talking for two days, but he’d thought they we’re almost friends and it kind of hurts to be cut off just like that.

He’s considering whether he should send another text when Pidge plops into the desk beside him. They look tired, and it’s not an uncommon look when they spend most of their sleeping hours on dubious websites and building suspicious looking technology but the note of annoyance behind it makes Keith wonder if it isn’t something more.

“Are you alright, Pidge?”

“Boy’s are dumb,” They say, head against the desk, “and I don’t know how much more of it I can take.”

“Do you need help with something?”

“Oh, oh absolutely not,” Pidge replies, a manic kind of light entering their eyes, “I have a plan, and it will solve everyone’s problems, but especially my own.” And then they laugh, the sound vaguely reminiscent of the laughter of a villain in a children’s show, and Keith decides it’s probably best to let the subject drop.

“Don’t worry Keith, I’m going to fix everything.” And Keith has no idea what she’s talking about, but he’s not ashamed to admit he’s feeling vaguely threatened by a 15 year old.

When the meeting is finally called to begin, Keith is more than a little thankful.

 

-

 

[Received: 15:22] yo sorry i’ve been m.i.a my mom took my phone

[Received: 15:22] could you meet me at the park by the high school

[Received: 15:23] pls

[Sent: 15:24] Alright

 

-

 

When he gets to park Lance is already there, idly swinging on one swings, so he takes the swing next to his and settles down.

“Why the heck did you call me here, I almost didn’t come but then Hunk practically carried me out the door and threatened Allura on me if I didn’t.” Lance says, not even sparing him a glance.

“Uh,” he manages, ever so eloquently, but Lance’s gaze still snaps to his.

“You’re not Pidge,” he says this as though it’s a surprise, eyes widening as he nearly falls out of the swing set.

“I’m not,” he agrees, and then after a beat of silence decides to continue, “I got a message from you, to meet here.”

Lance sputters, patting his whole body down before throwing his arms up and muttering what sounds like “fuckin’ Pidge” under his breath.

“Listen, uh, that wasn’t from me and I’m really sorry I’ll just go.”

“No,” he says, and grabs Lance’s hand before he can get any farther, “don’t go I want to talk –why did you stop replying to me?”

Lance gives one half-hearted tug at his hand, face turning a soft shade a red, as he sighs arm making an exhausted aborted move. “I just,” he glances at Keith then, looking at him straight in the eye, “ya gotta hear the story even though it’s kind of long and stupid.”

Keith shrugs, and then nods.

“Okay so like, when you messaged me that first time after I messaged Pidge I totally went on her Facebook to try to find you and I did and it turns out you’re like super-hot so I got kind of flustered which I don’t even know how but Pidge somehow managed to catch onto that just because I didn’t give you my _name_ which honestly how the fuck. Anyways, then since I needed to know how she found out I messaged you and we got to talking and it turns out you’re a pretty neat guy so then you’re pretty and neat which is absolutely unfair but still manageable because it’s not like we’re ever goanna meet right? But no, then you apparently have to work at the same fast food place as Allura and I have to see your stupid pretty face in person, in real life, and it was too much for me and my giant crush, ya know? So then, just, cut myself cold turkey and it’s not like you’d miss me we didn’t even know each other for more than 3 days so it seemed perfectly fine at the time. And that is my sad depressing story as to why I stopped texting you.”

Lance is nearly heaving by the end of it, and though Keith’s hand dropped from his somewhere in the middle of that tirade he remains just as rooted to his stop as he had been before. And though nothing is keeping Keith in place either, he can’t help but feel just as stuck all the same. A vaguely surreal feeling kept in place only if he doesn’t move from this spot.

“You have, a crush… on me?” Is what he finally manages to say, and Lance tilts his head away as if trying to hide the glowing blush on his cheeks.

“Kind of, yes, listen I know it’s stupid we barely even know each other.”

“I’d like to get to know you,” Keith instantly replies, because he would, it’s what he had been hoping for before Lance had just dropped the entire thing. “We can get to know each other.”

Lance’s eyes narrow skeptically, “and you don’t mind that I have a crush on you.”

“Not if it doesn’t bother you that I don’t feel the same way.”

He nods, and then grins wide and bright – Keith has a moment to think it’s one of the nicest things he’s ever seen before the other throws an arm around him and pulls him close.

“Alright then, we’re bros now, best buds, come on you’re coming back home with me Hunk’s probably going to get worried soon.”

Keith nods, slightly flustered and overwhelmed, but they don’t get very far before his phone starts to ring.

“Hello?”

“Have you two made up yet so I can finally get back to sleeping? Or at least, you know choosing when I don’t sleep.”

Lance slips the phone from his hand, pressing it against his own ear, “Yes, and also fuck you Pidge, thanks.” And then hangs up the phone, passing it back to Keith, who blinks at it once, and then glances up at Lance. “Don’t worry it’s fine,” he replies dismissively.

The phone doesn’t ring again, so Keith finds himself inclined to agree.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

[Received 03:12] babe, i just heard a scary noise i’m coming over

[Sent 03:12] You didn’t hear anything, you’re fine

[Received 03:13] correct and correct but i’m still coming over

[Sent 03:14] Lance it’s 3 in the morning you’re not coming over

[Received 03:15] but my parents aren’t home :(

[Sent: 03:15] That’s not how that works

[Received: 03:15] fine then, are your parents’ home?

[Sent: 03:15] No

[Received: 03:16] is shiro home?

[Sent: 03:16] No, him and Matt went to some concert

[Received: 03:17] without me? those bastards, how dare they

[Received: 03:17] that’s beside the point, no one’s home and i’m coming over

[Received: 03:18] i bring pizza and bad cgi alien movies ;)

[Sent: 03:18] … Fine, I’ll leave the front door unlocked for you

[Received: 03:18] oh ye of little faith, in true teenage movie fashion i’m coming in thru the window

[Sent: 03:19] Lance, do not do that

[Sent: 03:25] LANCE!!!

[Received: 03:29] better leave it unlocked or i might die

[Sent: 03:30] Lance, I swear to god

[Received: 03:33] ;))))

 

-

 

Sure enough, five minutes to four the window to his room creaks open, and Lance falls in in a perfectly ungraceful heap.

Keith laughs, and tries to ignore the way the moonlight lights up Lance’s face, and how his eyebrows scrunch up when he scowls. He isn’t sure when he started noticing these little things but he wishes they’d stop.

As open as Lance always seems to be Keith knows it took him a good week to stop feeling weird around him, and he credits that to the dwindling of whatever feelings he had harboured for him. Now, well over a month into their friendship he isn’t about to jeopardize it with his own, Lance is the closest thing he’s had to a best friend in years and he isn’t going to ruin it, no way in hell.

“Yo, earth to Keith, you there?” Lance’s face is too close when he zones back in, and he flinches back, knocking his head into the wall, which just makes Lance lean in closer. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, yeah, I’m fine, nothing pizza and a movie won’t fix.” Lance grins at the proclamation, zipping open his bag to take out two boxes of pizza, his laptop, and a couple cans of soda.

 While Lance busies himself with turning on his laptop and setting up the movie he grabs a can of soda and drags the boxes of pizza closer, picking a slice as he opens up the can and takes a drink.

By the time he’s settled in Lance has set the movie up on his desk, leaving it playing as he squishes in next to him, grabbing his own slice as he goes.

“I don’t even remember the name of this one,” Lance whispers as he settles down, “but I queued up a bunch so we won’t have to move for a good while.”

He lets out a huff of acknowledgement, before turning his attention towards the movie, which seems to be starting in some sort of farm.

-

He opens his eyes and assumes he must’ve fallen asleep because a completely different movie is playing then the last one he remembers. Lance is still awake, though just barely, watching the movie through half-lidded eyes, and he’s shifted lower so his head is resting against Keith’s chest now.

He’s not entirely sure why he does it, and will probably later blame it on his still half asleep brain, but he can’t stop himself from leaning down and placing a quick kiss on Lance’s lip. He smiles down at him for one sleepy second before it feels like he jolts back into his body.

Lance tumbles onto the ground as he pushes him away and when he glances over the edge he looks just as awake as Keith currently feels.

“I’m sorry,” he says, pleads, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to do that.”

Lance just stares, eyes wider than he can ever remember them being, his mouth opens, and then flaps back closed.

“Lance I–”

“Are you making fun of me?” And his voice sounds somewhere between sad and pissed off.

“No,” He yells, and is suddenly extremely glad no one is home, “No not at all,” he hadn’t thought of that before but now it’s all he can think of, how this must look like to Lance, to have been denied once and then this god, he must think Keith is some kind of asshole.

“Then why?”

“I just, kind of,” he huffs, and runs a hand through his hair, he wants to look away, run away, but if Lance had done this then so could he. “For like, awhile now, maybe a week or two, maybe more, I don’t really know. I, kind of, maybe. I like you. But I wasn’t sure if you still liked me and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship by bringing it up again and if you could make an effort to be friends even when you wanted more than so could I but I was just not awake and you were there and looking so beautiful and I couldn’t help myself and I’m sorry but I get if you have to go.”

Lance sits there, dazed, before finally speaking, “you like me?” He nods. “ _You_ like _me_?” Again he nods, feeling his cheeks grow warm. “ _You like me!_ ” He repeats, one more time, before launching himself at Keith.

“You like me,” he repeats again, voice quiet as he presses their foreheads together. “Can I kiss you?” He asks, voice softer than he’s ever heard it and something in Keith feels like it’s melting.

His breath, and heart, and words, and his everything feel like they’re stuck in his throat but he still manages a nod, feeling just a little lost in the warmth in his eyes and his person.

Lance smiles at the agreement,  a small shy little thing that Keith wants to kiss, so he does, and leans away just in time to see the faint red hue on Lance’s face before he kisses him right back.

He sighs, eyes closed, and one hand reaches up, curling loosely in Lance’s hair, pulling him just a little bit closer, keeping them together just a little bit longer.

When they finally pull apart Lance’s eyes are bright like a flame and they feel just as warm.

“We’re totally dating now,” he says, breathless and giddy as he rolls off him and curls up beside him. Keith turns over, facing him, and nods feeling a swell of something bright and happy in him as his eyes shut closed and he falls asleep.

 

-

 

[Received: 22:18] u ready to come over tonight?

[Sent: 22:19] Yes, Shiro’s dropping me off

[Sent: 22:19] You know we don’t have to do this every month

[Received: 22:20] it’s tradition!!! and romantic, shitty paranormal movies and pizza once a month at asscrack in the morning

[Sent: 22:20] Ah yes, asscrack in the morning, so very romantic

[Received 22:21] shut up keith!!! you know what i mean

[Sent: 22:21] I do, and I really do enjoy it

[Received 22:21] aw shucks, i love you too <3

[Sent: 22:22] Love you too

**Author's Note:**

> FunFacts about this fic (aka things taken from my life)  
> \- While the phone# thing might sound unrealistic I've actually had this happen to me twice, once with my mother's phone and our house phone, and the other my dad's old number and my current one  
> \- Lance's texting style is modeled loosely after my own, except with 100% less typos  
> \- Keith's caramel customer is one I've had myself, and Lance wanting soft serve is inspired by the fact the machine at my place has never once been operational in the 8 months I've worked there  
> \- Also, though never explicitly mentioned, mainly because I couldn't think of a good name, Keith and Pidge's club is 100% some sort of cryptid discussion group and they get into at least one (1) physical fight at each meeting. Keith has shed blood in Mothman's name. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading this through to the end and once again hope you all have a merry christmas and a wonderful holiday season in general


End file.
